Home is Where You Are
by ThilboLove
Summary: Bilbo has just taken his young nephew Frodo into his house to come live with him. They are settling into their new life when they are wisked away by Thorin and his own nephews. They wish to take the hobbits to live with them in Erebor, but so much more happens then planned.
1. Prologue

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Prologue

_

Two years had passed since his return to the shire from Erebor. Bilbo Baggins was rummaging about his house; the hobbit hole that was Bag End. He was searching for the map that Thorin had given to him as a reminder of the friendship that had formed between them on the journey.

"Oh, confound it all!" He shouted. "Things are just not what they used to be here. I just can't find anything anymore!"

He stood there moving his hands up and down at his sides. He looked around his house and was reminded of when thirteen dwarves and a wizard had somehow managed to fit themselves all into his kitchen, and that was when everything had changed for him. He smiled at the thought, though admittedly at the time it was rather quite 'in the way of things.'

Bilbo pulled himself back to reality, reminding himself that he had a map that needed finding. He started pacing about his house once more, until at last he found it hidden behind the clock on the mantelpiece.

"At last." He sighed. "Now I can finish working on a map of my own." Bilbo then proceeded to his study. You see, ever since his adventure he had been restless sitting in his house doing nothing for days on end. He had a particular liking for maps, and it was a few evenings ago during supper that the idea the create a map of his own occurred to him. He wanted to relive the adventure again, yet could not since his young nephew's parents had died and Frodo had come to live with him. So, he eventually came to the decision to make a map of his journey and relive each and every moment.

It was very late when Bilbo finally put down his work and glanced at the clock. "Blimey, look at the time!" He cried as he jumped up in a rush to clean up his study. "Dear me, it's almost midnight." He said, checking the clock once more. "I simply have not had the time to check on dear Frodo, but that's alright, I must simply check on him before I myself go to bed."

Bilbo stopped then, for he realized that he had been talking to himself, as he had done so many times after his return. It was not some sort of illness. No, it was just that he had grown far to accustomed to the company of others that it became strange _not_ to talk. He shook his head. _'Don't dwell on it_.' He thought. _'Thinking about the past will simply do you no good._' He said nothing else after that, but continued to clear his desk.

By the time he was done the clock had already reached half past twelve. He placed the final items in their place and went to check on his nephew. When he came to his nephew's room he was surprised to see that he was still awake.

"My dear boy, why on this good earth are you not asleep yet?" Bilbo asked as he came to sit on the edge of Frodo's bed. "Is there anything that I can do to help?"

"I'm sorry uncle Bilbo. I'm _trying_ to sleep, I really am!" That last part he added because of the look of doubt that was on his uncle's face. "Honest, I am."

Bilbo sighed. "Was it the dreams again?" he asked, for since the young hobbit had watched his parents drown, nightmares had plagued his sleep.  
"No… It was different this time. Not nightmares. Least, not about that. No, this one was very different. I was with you on one of your adventures, and we were going along quite nicely at first, but then we were attacked by wolfs, orcs, spiders and trolls all at once! It was terrifying. Yet for some reason it was hard to wake up from it, so I've been awake since then thinking about it…"

"And? What have you thought about?"

"Well, I was thinking about how wonderful it must be to go on an adventure, and although there are some scary moments there must also have been some good ones, otherwise you wouldn't miss it so much." Frodo explained.

"What do you mean? What makes you say that?" asked Bilbo. "I thought that I had managed to seem quite normal enough in that aspect."

"Well, I wouldn't have been able to tell had you not made it so obvious! Uncle, do you think that you could take me on an adventure one day? I would love to go to Erebor to see the dwarves and the king under the mountain. I want to meet the people who made you learn to leave home, something that you never would have even considered before!"

Bilbo was left speechless. Never had he expected his nephew to see right through him. It was true, he missed Thorin and the others with all his being, as small as it was, and he wanted to go back to Erebor and see Thorin again, more than _anything_. He wanted Frodo to experience what the world was like outside of the Shire, not to mention the fact that there was something that he had yet to tell Thorin that he had meant to long ago, though he was never given the chance.

"I'll think about it, okay? I'm not sure that Thorin even remembers me, for he is a king and has far more important things to worry about. Get some sleep for now and we can talk about it more in the morning, over breakfast." Frodo smiled and nodded his head in agreement.

"Good night, uncle!" he said. He turned over on his side and promptly fell asleep. Bilbo let out a sigh, kissed his nephew on the forehead and went to his own room.

When at last he was in bed he let out a great yawn. He was thinking about sleep and that he really ought to go to bed, but he couldn't stop thinking about what his nephew had said about going to Erebor, and how much he wanted to go. Bilbo found himself thinking that maybe it was not going to be such a great idea in the long run, for he still had his house and could not afford the risk of having the Sackville-Bagginses getting their dirty paws on it, and it was a dangerous road to take.

Before long he found himself asleep. He was dreaming about the day that the dwarves had first arrived. The day that everything had changed for him. In came Balin and Dwalin, then came Fili and Kili and everyone else. Thorin was missing. Bilbo waited in his dream a while, until at last came the expected knock. Bilbo's dream self-went and opened the door. But even though the door was opened Bilbo could still hear the sound of someone knocking on his door. He woke up with a start, and found out that the knocking had not in fact been coming from his dream, but from his house. With a jolt he realized where the noise was coming from.

Somebody was really knocking at his door.

Thanks for reading! As you may have noticed my story is a little better than it was, thanks to HawkPerrigrin for betaing my story


	2. 1 Introductions

"Alright, I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold your horses." Bilbo muttered as he got out of bed and went to answer the door. "I hope you realize just how late it is! And I am _not_ in a mood for merry making and what not-"

He opened the door and stopped short, for the sight that met his eyes was a shocking one. There stood Fili and Kili, almost just as he had remembered them, although Kili had a tad more of a beard and their hair had grown significantly in length.

"What on earth? What are you two doing here?" he asked as he finally managed to get his voice back. "And do you realize what _time_ it is? It's the middle of the night!" but before Bilbo could say anymore he was enveloped in a mess of arms. "Wha-?"

"Bilbo, we missed you so much! I can't believe that we're actually seeing you again!" Fili said.  
"It's been way to long!" He added as they let the hobbit go.

"How long has it been Fili? Two years since the Battle of Five Armies?" Kili asked his brother with an air of pride.

"Two and a half years if I remember correctly." Fili replied. They then turned to face Bilbo and were taken back by the look of confusion on the halfling's face.

"Don't look at us like that! We _do_ know how to keep track of the time, and none of us have forgotten you, if that's what you're thinking… us and Thorin least of all!" cried Kili. "Life has been no fun without our little burglar around." He said as he swooped down for another hug, nearly squishing the hobbit in the process.

"Ah-Kili! Try not to squish me to death, please!" Bilbo spluttered as he tried to free himself from Kili's grip. "I mean, I miss you and everything but-" He was cut off because Kili had unceremoniously dumped him on the floor as he ran to meet the sight that just greeted him.

_

Frodo had been asleep for only a few hours when he heard a noise at the door. He thought that maybe it was someone's late night party guest who had simply arrived at the wrong house, as this has happened several times before. Frodo turned over and tried to go back to sleep.  
He was in the middle of a pleasant dream in which he was smoking pipe-weed and eating mushrooms with his cousins Merry and Pippin, when he heard a loud shouting noise coming in from the front entrance. Frodo was overwhelmed with a sudden fear that seemed to grow inside him.

He was hiding under his blankets, afraid of what would happen next, not wanting anything to hurt him when he heard his uncle saying '…squish me to death, please!"

He could no longer take it. He mustered up all his courage to get out of bed and save his uncle from this unwelcome guest, but as he walked into the foyer he met someone that he did not expect.  
"Uncle.." He said as he walked in, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Uncle, what's going on? Are you alright?" Frodo asked.

Kili ran over to the young hobbit that had just entered the room. "Uncle, are you alright?" he asked Bilbo. "I heard some noises and I came to see if everything was oka-"

"Uncle?!" Cried Fili and Kili together, interrupting the young hobbit.

"You never told us that you had a nephew…" Kili said. He turned to look at the young one. "What is your name, little one?" He asked, bending down so as to look the young hobbit in the eyes.

Frodo flinched and tried to step back from Kili, not trusting this strange creature. Suddenly he tripped on the hem of his pants and fell over backwards. Kili leapt forward to catch the young lad, and scooped him up before he could fall back onto the floor. "I've got you lad." He said. He then handed Frodo back to his uncle. "I didn't mean to scare you. He stepped back to join his brother by the door.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves." Said Fili. "I am Fili, and this scary lad here is my younger brother, Kili." They shared a look then bowed to the hobbits. "At your service." They said together.

At this Bilbo let out a bit of a laugh, for this had been the exact same way that they had greeted him when they first appeared on his doorstep nearly three years ago. Fili and Kili smiled, glad to see a smile on Bilbo's face once again.

"Ah, I'm forgetting my manners! Why don't you two come in and have some tea. After all, we do have a lot of catching up to do." Bilbo said after a few moments of silence.

"Good idea! We'll just make ourselves comfortable then!" Said Kili, walking down the hall in much the same way he had done the last time he had arrived.

"What about your nephew?" Asked Fili. "I'm sure this must all seem very strange to him."

"Oh, not at all! He's heard the stories of our adventure! And I'm sure he'll understand much." Bilbo replied.

"You mean you're not going to send him off to bed then?" Fili asked.

"Well, of course not! He deserves to hear of our adventures as much as the next hobbit!" Bilbo exclaimed, not telling Fili that in truth he was hoping this would distract Frodo from the pain that was still in his heart.

"Good!" Said Fili piling his stuff on the floor. "I was hoping you would say that, although I must say it is not _like_ you."

"People change." Replied Bilbo. "You can hardly expect me to have been much the same as I once was after an adventure like that!"

Bilbo steered Frodo to the dining room where Kili now sat munching on some bread. "Come along now!" He called back to Fili who was left standing by the door.

Fili looked around Bilbo's house, noting the fact that it was far less organized yet less crowded then he remembered it. "I guess so ." He said with a shrug, then proceeded to follow them to the table.

Bilbo took Frodo to the dining room where Fili and Kili were seated at his table. They had raided his pantry in a much similar fashion as when Balin and Dwalin had first entered his household.

"So, what brings you two here? I mean, I highly doubt that Thorin would allow you two to wander around without good reason." Bilbo asked.

"Well… I thought that you would have known by now how uncle feels about y-"

"What Kili _meant_ to say, is that… well, I think that we should let him tell you that himself."

As if on cue, there was a loud knock on the door. Fili and Kili gave each other knowing looks. They got up and all but pushed Bilbo to the door. Bilbo looked back at them, confused by their behaviour, but they just looked at him and waved him on. Bilbo turned around slowly, and there was another impatient knock at the door.

Bilbo was puzzled. _'Who or what is making them act so excited?_' He wondered. He took the last few steps towards the door. He took a deep breathe, and opened it.

Bilbo gasped with surprise when he did so, for what he saw was not at all what he been expecting.

"Um, I, ah- I was not _expecting_ you to be here… I mean, that is, well, I suppose I should have known when I saw the two of them that you would…" Bilbo stuttered. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. "I'll just stop talking now." He said.

The visitor entered the door. He looked around the place, trying to memorize every detail, seeing what had changed from his last visit. "This place has not changed a bit since I was last here." He said. He brushed past Bilbo and walked into the dining room.

Fili and Kili were ecstatic when he entered the room. "Uncle!" they cried as they got up to hug him.

"Uncle Thorin, what took you so long? We were starting to think that you had changed your mind and went back to Erebor without us!" Shouted Kili. Fili elbowed his younger brother.

"Don't be absurd, Kili! Uncle isn't _that_ shy. You know, just shy enough to not have wanted to come with us in the first place. Even though he wants this as much as we do~"

"Um, wants what exactly?" Bilbo asked as he walked into the room after Thorin. They all turned to look at him, even poor Frodo, who had been quite frightened by the sight of another unknown visitor in the middle of the night. "Why are you all looking at me like that?" He added after a moment of silence.

"You mean he doesn't know yet? " Thorin inquired. "Well, I am surprised that you managed to keep your mouths shut." he chuckled, then turning to Bilbo he said "Don't worry, you'll find out what this is all about in due time, but first.." he said as he sat down, "we need to discuss the matter that originally brought us here."

Bilbo brought out some food. He knew from past experiences that dwarves could eat quite a bit in just one sitting, even more so than hobbits. He noticed with relief that they were not expecting more company that night. He didn't feel like now was the moment to give his whole pantry away.

"You know Bilbo, we were thinking... could you possibly introduce this young hobbit to us, or at least us to him? He seems to be rather quite terrified. " Fili suggested.

"I agree! " Kili added.

"What young hobbit? Bilbo, I would expect an explanation. You're not married and settled down now, are you?" Thorin asked with an inquiring glare, though there was something in his voice that Bilbo had never heard there before. Thorin sounded almost downcast, as if he had become privy to information that he would have preferred never to have heard.

Bilbo looked at his friends. He realized they were all staring at him with a confused look. "Wha- of course not, um, what I mean to say is... No, I am not married and Frodo is_ not_ my child, Thorin. He is my nephew. And yes, I do believe introductions are in order. _Again_." The last part he added with a look at Fili and Kili, for they knew as well as he that they had already been properly introduced.

"Well, I suppose that would be a start." Bilbo then went and coaxed Frodo out of his room where he had been hiding ever since Thorin had walked in.


	3. 2 An Unexpected Request

"Uncle, I never thought that they would look like that! I mean, the way that you described them? Especially the way that you described Thorin…"

"Well, what did you think that they would look like?" Bilbo asked Frodo. Bilbo had come in to introduce Frodo to the dwarves, but he was proving to be far more stubborn then Bilbo had expected.

"It's just that when you described them to me in your stories, they seemed so much more… beautiful. I thought that they would be more elf-like or something. These guys are so big and bulky! Especially Thorin. He looked like he could snap your neck with one squeeze of his hand-"

"Now don't you say that!" The words escaped Bilbo before he could stop himself. "Now listen, Frodo, I know first-hand how intimidating they are when you first meet them, but they are truly wonderful beings, with softer hearts then you would think even possible! And I _know_ they must seem terrifying to someone as small as you, But I promise, nothing bad is going to happen, so come out and meet them, alright?"

Bilbo stretched his hand out to Frodo. Frodo looked at it for a while before finally taking his uncle's hand. "Alright, uncle." And the two of them walked out of the room.

When at last Bilbo entered the dining room with Frodo behind him, Fili and Kili almost jumped up in excitement, but one look from Thorin and they held themselves back.

"Alright lads, this is Frodo. Frodo is my nephew. His parents died in an accident almost six months ago, and as his godfather, he has come now to live with me." He looked down at Frodo; unsure as to how the young hobbit would react. He was only showed little signs of fatigue, nothing more. He then continued with the introductions.

"Frodo, meet Fili and Kili, the heirs of Durin"

Once again they bowed to Frodo, getting out of their seats with much clatter.

"The blond one is the older brother, Fili, and the other is the younger, Kili." He finished. "And this," he said with a slight wave of his hand, "Is Thorin Oakenshield, king under the mountain. He is also their uncle." He added with a nod to the others. "What do you think?"

Frodo took a little while to respond. When he got over his nerves he went up to Thorin and looked him over. When he was finished with his little investigation he turned to Bilbo saying: "Uncle Bilbo, I thought that they would look like elves." Disregarding what Bilbo had told him before.

Bilbo opened his mouth to reply but silenced himself. He glanced at Thorin to see if he was angered by this statement, and was greeted with the raising of his eyebrow. Bilbo gave him a look that said 'I'll explain it to you later.' Thorin nodded and went back to eating the buns that Bilbo had brought previously.

It was silent for a while. Nobody knew what to say. Finally, Bilbo decided to put Frodo back to bed when he yawned for the third time, thinking about how easy it was to forget the time when he had company over.

When Bilbo was finished he came into the dining room and was told to sit at the table -or rather, _forced _to sit at the table. Kili walked up to Bilbo, picked him up, and plopped him in the chair beside Thorin. For some reason that was yet unknown to Bilbo, he felt a blush creeping up his face when he turned to face Thorin. Thorin wasn't looking at him though; he seemed to be deep in thought. _'Maybe he's thinking of someone back home…'_ though he didn't finish the thought, for it saddened him.

Bilbo, lost in thought, was brought back to reality by Thorin's voice. He was telling Kili to stop playing with his food and to put the lettuce away. "You've had enough to eat already," He was saying. Kili put the plate down with a grin, and joined his brother at the far end of the table.

Thorin turned to Bilbo. "We don't want to deplete Bilbo's storage again." Suddenly he looked away. He cleared his throat. Bilbo noted with confusion that Thorin's face was a bright shade of pink. Almost invisible, but most definitely there. _'Must not be feeling good._' He thought.

"Um yes, I would appreciate it if you didn't eat all of my food." Replied Bilbo.

"But Bilbo, you won't be needing it anymore! Oh! Maybe we can bring it on the journey with us?" Shouted Kili. Bilbo, of course, was more than a little confused.

"Kili, it is not certain that he will agree to all this. Not after what we did to him last time."

"But that was then and this is now! And besides, he came of his own free will that time as well!" Protested Kili.

Bilbo was quite fed up with all the mystery, and really wanted to know what was going on. "I need an explanation. You said that we could take the food on the journey, but _what_ journey!?" He cried.

"Oh! That's right, you still don't know about the plan!" Fili said. "Let's tell him, Kili!"

"What plan? What are you all planning?" Bilbo said, then with a sudden sense of dread he realized that they were talking about taking him away from his home again.

"Just know that we are not making you come with us." Thorin added. "And of course Frodo may come with us if you want."

"Where? Can somebody please tell me what's going on here?" Bilbo was close to bursting at this point, his voice getting louder with every word.

"Don't you understand it yet?" Fili said.

"Tell him uncle!" added Kili.

Thorin silenced him with a glare. He then turned Bilbo and said "We are taking you to Erebor."


	4. 3 Arrangements

"What?" Bilbo asked, unsure if he had heard right. "Did you just say that you were going to take me to Erebor?"

"Aye," Was the response. "do you need time to think?"

Bilbo looked around, thinking of the gravity of the situation. He was quite fond of Bag End, but he did miss the sense of adventure that the dwarfs had about them, and the fact that he would be with Thorin…

"Um, well… how long would we be gone for?" Bilbo asked instead. "I mean, there is Frodo to think of." He added as an afterthought.

Thorin turned to look at him, and as ever, he felt that Thorin's eyes were looking right past his eyes and into his soul. Bilbo turned to Fili and Kili. They were looking at him in confusion.

"Bilbo, I don't think you understand what Thorin meant." Fili looked at Thorin, who nodded, before continuing. "We mean to have you there forever. To live with us, in Erebor." Kili grinned at that, seeing the expression of shock that was now Bilbo's face.

"Wha- But- I mean, of _course_ I would like to, but I can't just up and _leave _like last time, because I have to do something about the house, and then there's Frodo to consider-"

"He can come too!" Shouted Fili. Kili and Thorin nodded their heads in agreement.

"Well, that would all depend on him, but he just lost his family and we're just used to things here. I can't just ask him to come with me and start over again!" Bilbo protested, then he stopped himself short. Why was he complaining about it? This was all that he had ever wanted since he had come back home after the adventure! And the prospects… But what about Frodo? No, he would just have to convince his nephew to just think of it as an adventure.

"Actually, give me the rest of the night to think about it. Why don't the three of you make yourselves at home? It must have been a long journey, so rest as long as you like." Bilbo said. They all looked at him in thanks. "Goodnight," he said, then he went and left them to it.

Thorin had sat himself in the armchair by the fire. He was truly happy to see Bilbo again after all this time, but he was unsure how Bilbo felt about all this. Fili and Kili had wanted to see Bilbo again as much as he did, though not for all the same reasons. He wasn't even sure that Bilbo would accept their request. The thought pained him greatly. He missed his hobbit, though Bilbo wouldn't know how Thorin felt. Thorin was not one to show his emotions openly. And what about the young hobbit? Thorin knew first-hand how difficult it was to take care of nephews, especially if they were anything like the two in the other room. Brave, though a little short-sighted at times. Would Bilbo leave him behind, or take Frodo with him, or not even come at all? No, he _knew_ Bilbo, he wouldn't give up the chance for another adventure.

He stared into the fire, thinking about all of the things that he wanted to come out of this. The things that he wished he could tell the hobbit. Thorin thought while looking into the fire, until sleep took him at last.

Fili and Kili had found the sofa in Bilbo's living room and pranced on it immediately. They had a bit of a spat over it, but stopped when Kili fell to the floor laughing, so they settled for sharing. They were very excited to be out and about, the kingdom being far too strict for their liking. They were overjoyed at the thought of a small little hobbit coming to live with them!

"I wonder if uncle will ever tell Bilbo his _real_ reason for coming here." Kili asked his brother as he settled himself onto the couch, using his cloak as a blanket.

"Who knows? Wait a minute!" Fili yelped suddenly, a sort of gleam appearing in his eyes. " I think I found a use for all the money we have! What say you we make a bet?"

"What sort of bet?"

"A bet on how long it will take Thorin to tell Bilbo! if he ever tells him at all, that is."

Kili grinned. "I think that's a _lovely_ idea, though I don't think that I want to bet money, we have lots of that. Don't you?" Kili asked. "No, I think we should bet on something more _worthwhile_."

Fili pondered on this for a moment, then he thought of an idea. "How about whoever wins the bet gets to ride with Frodo on the journey! After all, Bilbo should be _much _too busy with Thorin, surely he would want one of us to ride with the young one in his stead?" Of course, it had never occurred to them that Bilbo might decline their offer and decide to stay here in the shire, or that Frodo might not want to ride with these new faces.

"Okay, Fili, I bet that Thorin will tell Bilbo how he feels as soon as he gets the chance, and that they will be happily in love before we even reach _Dale_!" Kili said with a grin.

"Alright, brother, then_ I_ bet that Thorin won't say anything until after we get to Erebor, or else doesn't tell him at all." They spit on their hands and shook on it.

"Wait a minute, how can we decide who gets to carry Frodo if we don't find out the results until we've finished our journey?" Kili asked, a look of slight panic on his face.

"We'll just have to take turns, I guess… wait a minute, how do we know that Bilbo will even want to be with Thorin as a couple? What if he breaks uncle's heart!?"

"Don't be daft, it's completely obvious how Uncle Bilbo feels about uncle Thorin. He thinks we don't notice but it's quite apparent by the way he acts." Kili said, leaning back with a smug grin on his face.

"_Uncle_ Bilbo? Oh, that is genius! We ought to call him that from now on, don't you think?"

"It's agreed then! Now, May the best dwarf win!"

_

Bilbo lay in his bed. How was he going to tell Frodo that they were going to go live in Erebor with Thorin? He had decided that he was going to go, and that he would give him the choice of coming with them or living with old gaffer and his boy, Sam, the two of them being good friends and all. Bilbo knew that he was being a bit heartless, but he wanted to do things his way, for once, and what he wanted was to live side by side with Thorin for the rest of his life.

It was decided, then. What he needed to think about now was whether or not he would tell Thorin how he felt about him. _That he had been hopelessly in love with him for some time_? Of course, Bilbo had tried to get over the dwarven king, which was easier said than done. The more he tried not to think about it, the more he thought about it. In the end he decided to live with the fact that he would be in love with Thorin even if he never saw him again, yet there Thorin was! Asking Bilbo to abandon everything and come with him! How could he possibly say _no_ to that?

Bilbo didn't wake up till about midday, having thought for most of the night before falling asleep at dawn. He got out of bed and padded over to the kitchen, the smell of breakfast assaulting his nose.  
Fili and Kili had gotten up relatively early and had conjured up some very yummy looking eggs, bacon and pancakes. Bilbo noticed that Frodo was sitting in his usual spot, a plate of food already laid out before him. He was devouring it greedily. Thorin was nowhere to be seen.

"Good morning, uncle Bilbo! We made breakfast for you. " Kili said, grinning from ear to ear. Bilbo later heard that Frodo had done something quite impressive, causing the three of them to get along quite nicely. What it was, though, Bilbo never found out.

"Where did you get all of this stuff? I didn't know that the two of you knew how to cook."

"Of course we do! Why wouldn't we?" Fili asked, slipping eggs into Bilbo's plate as he sat down. "You should see uncle Thorin."

"Right. So-" Bilbo said as he stuffed an egg into his mouth, "Where is Thorin, anyways?

"Oh, he just went off on a walk. He woke up before any of us, should be back soon. "

"Oh. Okay. Anyways, I need to tell you guys that I have decided to go back to Erebor with you, and that I _am_ prepared to leave everything behind." He said trying, not to blush at the sight of their beaming faces.

"Uncle? What do you mean that you are going to go live in Erebor with them? What about the shire, what about Bag End? Where am I going to live?" Frodo asked with a panic. Was he going to lose the last relative that he actually got along with?

"No, Frodo! Let me explain things to you. Last night when you went to bed, Thorin asked me to come back to Erebor with him, and I am agreeing to go. Don't worry, I have talked to Mr. Gamgee, and he said that he would take you in if ever the need arose, but I am offering you another choice. I talked to Thorin last night and he said that you were free to come with us if you so desired."

It was silent for a moment. Bilbo thought that Frodo was about to cry when he suddenly shouted out "Erebor! I finally get to see everything for myself, uncle!" He jumped out of his chair and ran up to Bilbo and hugged him on the knees. "Thank you, uncle Bilbo, I've always wanted to go on one of your adventures!"

Thorin came back, only to discover that Bilbo was not in the house, and that a plate of food had been laid out for him. 'Strange.' He thought. 'Bilbo ought to be awake by now'. He went to go look for Bilbo in his room, but then remembered that he had no idea where that was, so he went to interrogate his nephews instead.

They were sitting on the grass out in Bilbo's yard, enjoying the sun. Frodo was sitting between the two of them. He was fast asleep, with a look of contentment on his face.

"Fili, Kili. Where has Bilbo gone off to?" He asked, coming up to them. "I haven't seen him."

Fili and Kili looked up, as they hadn't heard Thorin approach them. "Uncle! Bilbo went over to the neighbors place, he's giving them the key to his house. Says he's got some people that he doesn't want getting to his house." Fili replied a bit drowsily.

"So he's coming then." It was more of a statement then a question. They nodded, then explained that Frodo would be coming too, and how Bilbo wanted to leave as soon as possible to avoid being noticed by his nosy neighbors.

Thorin was relieved that Bilbo had decided to come with him, in the end. He tried his best not to let his joy show on his face, but couldn't help but smile. Bilbo was coming to live with him. The one he had loved for quite some time, and he would never have to let him go again.

Bilbo came up the hill then, and Thorin was forced to look away, hoping that nobody had noticed his blush.

"Alright, the arrangements have been made. Gaffer is going to watch the house until his Boy Sam is old enough to have it for his own." Bilbo was panting slightly, out of breath from running up the hill. He was truly excited.

"You have everything taken care of, yes?" Pressed Thorin, wanting to leave now that Bilbo had sorted everything out.

"Just need to pack a few of my belongings. Won't be but a few moments." And without waiting for a reply he ran into his house. He was setting foot in Bag End for the last time.


	5. 4 Stuck In The Rain

Before they had left, Bilbo had paused to take one last look at Bag-End. He had to admit to himself that he was going to miss this place. After all, it was the place where he had lived all of his live. Where his _family _had lived long before him. And now he was leaving it behind, with no relatives, at least, none that he could trust, left to inherit it after him.

That's why Bilbo had chosen for Sam to have the house when he came of age. The only other hobbits that Bilbo was acquainted with these past few weeks had been Frodo's three young friends; Peregrin Took, Meriadoc Brandybuck, and Samwise Gamgee. Out of the three of them, Sam seemed to be the most responsible and respectable hobbit, and Bilbo held high hopes for him.

Bilbo finally mustered the courage to leave his home behind, no matter how much he might miss it in the future. He didn't regret agreeing to go to Erebor with Thorin, each of them with nephews in tow.

They had been walking for several miles, Fili and Kili complaining that their feet hurt after so much walking around. "Why couldn't we have brought ponies uncle?" They asked after a while. "It would have been so much easier!"

Thorin stopped in his tracks, turning to glare at his nephews. Bilbo, who had been as close behind as a shadow, promptly walked into Thorin, stumbling and falling right over.

Thorin, who had felt nothing, continued. "Do you not remember what happened the last time we brought ponies? They were kidnapped by trolls, under _your _watch, and the company had nearly died trying to rescue them, not to mention you put Bilbo in considerable danger-" Thorin looked around. "Where has he gone off to?"

At this Fili and Kili couldn't help but laugh. Even Frodo, who was sitting on Kili's shoulders, couldn't suppress a giggle at the sight of his uncle laying there on the ground. Thorin, following their gaze, looked down to find Bilbo on the ground at his feet. "What is the meaning of this?" He asked as he pulled Bilbo up, amazed at how light he was, and was shocked to find him there.

"Sorry." Bilbo looked away as soon as he was on his feet, hiding his face as he brushed the dirt off his cloths, trying to hide the blush that had formed at Thorin's touch. "Wasn't paying attention, that's all." He mumbled.

"Right, let's move on then, and make haste. It looks like it's going to rain."

Bilbo looked up. Thorin was right, the day that had started off so beautiful was now discouragingly grey. Fili and Kili picked up the pace, leaving Bilbo to catch up.

_

They had managed to walk a few more miles before the rain started to come down. It was just a few minor drops at first, but then swiftly turned into a raging storm.

"Thorin! It's pouring buckets out here! We need to find shelter." Bilbo cried over the sound of thunder clashing around them. "I don't want anyone to get sick!"

Thorin stopped where he was, turning to look at his companions. They all looked as tired and cold as he felt. He looked at Bilbo, who stood closest to him, noticing that of them all he was least prepared for the storm. He then turned his gaze to his nephews. They were obviously trying to put on a brave front, but Thorin knew that even they could not hold out in this storm. And there was Frodo, huddled in the folds of Kili's coat, was shivering with the cold.

"Alright! Here's the plan. As I'm sure you might have noticed, we passed a small cave a little while back! Let's turn back and take shelter there until the storm is over!" He cried at last. No one had said anything, but Thorin could tell by the looks on their faces that they were glad he had not decided to press on any further.

Bilbo waited until Thorin was beside him before he resumed walking. Bilbo knew that Thorin was trying to act strong for all of them, but that not even the king under the mountain wouldn't be cold in a storm like this.

Thorin smiled inwardly when he noticed the way that Bilbo waited to walk beside him, and he was glad for it, because no matter what he said in this situation, he was actually rather quite cold. The closeness of the hobbit was welcome to him, as he offered a little warmth of his own. Before Thorin could stop himself, he took his arm and wrapped it around the hobbit, bringing him closer to him. Neither of them said anything, although Bilbo's heart-rate increased dramatically, and they walked on in silence.

When Fili and Kili got sight of the cave they ran towards it as fast as their tired feet would allow them. Kili was being extremely careful so as to not hurt the young hobbit that was huddled inside his cloak.

Bilbo didn't have the energy to run, for he was to tired and was going numb from the cold. Thorin decided to wait for Bilbo, seeing that the hobbit was dragging his feet slightly in the effort to keep up, but Bilbo could not go any further. It was far too much, and so he fell over in exhaustion.

"Bilbo!" Thorin cried upon seeing Bilbo fall to the ground, and rushed towards him in a panic. "Bilbo, speak to me!"

"Thorin?" Bilbo tried to get up, exhaustion weighing him down. "I-I'm sorry, I just can't, I feel like I am being pulled into the darkness, that I won't make it if I don't rest here and now." Bilbo knew that he was being over dramatic, but it was like he couldn't control the words that were now coming out of his mouth.

Thorin wrapped his arms around the hobbit. "Don't apologize, we are all weak and tired. Each of us are suffering from the cold." Thorin then placed his hands beneath the hobbit, picking him up, meaning to carry Bilbo the rest of the way. "Don't worry, we are almost there."

Bilbo leaned into Thorin's chest, glad for the warmth of another being. "I'm so cold, Thorin, I don't think t-that I have ever b-been this c-cold in my l-life!" Bilbo whispered, not having the energy to speak up. He was shaking now, and his teeth were chattering uncontrollably. None of these signs escaped Thorin's watchful eyes. He was on the lookout for the warning signs that meant Bilbo was in trouble, though so far nothing really terrible had shown itself.

By the time Thorin entered the shelter they had found, Fili and Kili already had a fire going. Fili was tending the fire while Kili was wrapping Frodo up in all the dry blankets that he could find amongst his and Fili's belongings. It was only when Thorin saw this that he realized how cold Bilbo actually felt.

"Uncle!" Fili cried when he noticed that Thorin and Bilbo had finally caught up, but then he saw Bilbo in Thorin's arms and the smile instantly faded from his face. He rushed over to help Thorin with his and Bilbo's packs, Thorin all the while never letting go of the hobbit.

"What on earth happened out there?" Kili asked, looking up to see that everything was alright. "We thought that maybe the storm had become too much and that you had taken shelter underneath a tree!"

"Bilbo passed out from exhaustion, and if we do not warm him up quick, he may well come down with something very nasty." Thorin said while glancing at his nephews, checking to make sure that they were alright. His gaze even moved on to Frodo for a bit, because even if they had yet to meet properly, Thorin figured that Frodo was practically family now. And so, he treated him as such.

When Fili and Kili heard that Bilbo needed help, they both got up to offer their services, But one look from Thorin was enough to make them sit right back down again. Thorin didn't need to say anything for the two of them to understand what it was Thorin wanted. He wanted them to take care of themselves and Frodo, making sure that everything was accounted for, while he would go see to himself and Bilbo in the back of the cave, as far away from the rain as possible.

Fili and Kili nodded, both turning back to what they had been working on before. Thorin placed Bilbo on the cave floor and went to fetch their packs. He instantly pulled out Bilbo's blankets and wrapped the hobbit in them , trying his best not to wake Bilbo, who had fallen asleep in his arms. He then placed the hobbit in his lap, pulling him close to keep him warm. At least, that's what he tried to tell himself. Thorin was very aware that Bilbo was so close to him, And that he himself was free to look at his face without having to worry what Bilbo might think of him. It was then, he realized, that he truly loved Bilbo, and that he was glad that he was going to be living the rest of his life with him, or at least, under the same mountain. Thorin let out a sigh so quiet that it could barely be heard over the crackling of the fire. He _wanted_ to tell Bilbo what he felt towards him, but was afraid that Bilbo would reject him and go straight back home to the shire instead. He had no choice but to wait. To wait until he was sure that Bilbo felt the same way about him. Surly just being together until then would be enough?

Bilbo was content, Thorin had carried him in his arms. Bilbo could feel Thorin's heart beating, and found it very calming. Bilbo had fallen asleep listening to that beautiful sound, for it calmed him, and it pleased him to know that even a king had a heart. But when Bilbo woke up he was very confused. Thorin's heartbeat had gone, but he could still feel his arms wrapped tightly around him. Then he realized that had leant back against the cave in his sleep, all the while never relinquishing his hold on him, though his heart was no longer by Bilbo's ear.

Bilbo smiled, and deciding to take advantage of the situation, wriggled closer to Thorin. It was admittedly slightly difficult because Thorin's grip was just a little too tight. He managed to get comfortable eventually, and now all he could do was hope that Thorin didn't wake up and push Bilbo away in disgust.

Fili and Kili had a hard time falling asleep that night, they were too busy watching over everyone else, and someone had to stay on guard.

Kili had been fascinated by Frodo from the start, but was most amazed at how peaceful he looked in his sleep, and it had a nice calming effect on him. Of course, he had seen a hobbit's sleeping face before, having been on watch several times while Bilbo had slept on their journey to reclaim Erebor, but for some reason the young hobbit brought out an almost motherly side to him.

Fili was humming to himself. He was enjoying the warmth that the fire brought him. He had also been enjoying the sight of Thorin holding onto Bilbo as if both of their lives depended on it, and Fili found it slightly amusing how_ possessive _Thorin seemed to have become about his hobbit.

No later had Fili said thought this did he notice that Thorin was actually awake, and that he was staring at Fili, who looked away after making eye-contact. He didn't want his uncle to think that he was spying on them, and that was _not _what he was doing. Not at all.

"Morning uncle!" Fili cried cheerfully, not completely sure that it actually was morning. "How is he? Bilbo I mean?"

Thorin glared at him. "He's still a might cold, but I'm sure that some more rest is all that he needs. How is young Frodo and your brother doing?" He asked, getting up as gently as he could so as not to wake his sleeping hobbit.

Kili smiled when he heard his uncle speak. "He's fine. And as a matter of fact, so am I. It's just a little storm after all. Nothing I can't handle."

Thorin shook his head, then with a smile added "I know that, you fool. It's being _sick_ that I know you can't stand."

Fili let out a giggle at the truth of Thorin's words, and Kili blushed a little in embarrassment. "Alright Thorin, point taken. Now come here, I have something to show you." And Thorin, having nothing better to do, got up and walked over to his youngest nephew, who's hair, he noticed, was in quite the wild mess.

"What is it that you have to show me?" Thorin asked as he came and sat down beside Kili. "Surely not something bad I hope."

Kili laughed. "Of course not! Unless you think that Bilbo's nephew is something to avoid."

This caused Thorin to raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that? I have already Seen the young Hobbit, and I can't think of anything that you have to show me that I can't see with my own two eyes." Thorin was slightly annoyed by the fact that Kili was acting like an idiot, _again. _He was about to go back to Bilbo when he noticed that Kili was actually laughing.

"What might I ask, is so funny?" He asked, a touch of sarcasm entering his voice.

Kili stopped laughing. "It's nothing, really Thorin! It's just that I'm not showing him to you, I am simply trying to get you to take care of him!" The grin on his face portrayed his amusement.

"And why would I need to take care of him?"

"Because, Uncle. As far as I know, you have never had any experience with children, well- other than me and Fili, but we don't count. I think that it's about time that you did!" He said, excitement obvious in his voice.

Thorin said nothing for a few moments, preoccupied by his thoughts . he glared at Kili. "This has nothing to do with the fact that he is _Bilbo's _nephew, does it?" Fili let out a laugh in the background, but stopped when Thorin turned to look at him. "Or the fact that-"

"Whoa, uncle! You don't want to be saying anything about your feelings out loud like that! What if someone hears you?" Kili cried. "Now, I want you to pick Frodo up, gently now, and hold him in your arms."

Thorin just sat there, quite unsure about what he was being asked to do. How would he pick Frodo up without dropping him? And what if he crushed the tiny hobbit in his hands? Surly he was as fragile as he looked! Before Thorin could say anything to get Kili to change his mind, Kili picked the young hobbit up and promptly placed him in Thorin's arms.


	6. 5 Three Dwarves, One Hobbit?

Thorin sat there, glaring at the hobbit that had just been placed in his care. He had no idea what he was supposed to do now. He didn't even know how to hold him properly!

Thorin turned to give Frodo back to Kili, but at this point Kili had gone over to lie down beside his brother who had fallen asleep mere moments ago. And when Thorin called out to his nephew, he was rewarded with the sound of snores filling the cave.

"Nephews." Thorin muttered to himself, looking down at the sleeping figure in his arms. He tried shifting him around, seeing which position might be better for the hobbit. Eventually Thorin gave up, and decided to hold onto him until someone else was awake to take care of him.

It had been several minutes, and Thorin was finally starting to get the hang of things, when Frodo decided to wake up. Thorin looked down when he felt the hobbit stirring in his arms, confused as to the cause, nearly panicking when he realised that Frodo was awake.

"Uncle?" Frodo asked groggily. "Is that you?"

"No, Frodo." Was Thorin's reply, he had clue what he was supposed to say now.

As Kili had said, Thorin had never dealt with children before. He had always left that part to the others. The only ones that he had ever had any real experience with were his nephews, and they had almost been too much for him to handle. As a result he had vowed never to look after a child again.

Yet here he was, sitting with a young hobbit child in his hands, and he was quite unsure of what was expected of him.

"T-Thorin? What happened to Kili? Did he need to go to the bathroom or something?" Frodo asked, he was rubbing his eyes, a gesture that Thorin found to be quite endearing.

"No young one. He has simply gone to sleep." Thorin relaxed slightly, he found that talking to Frodo had not been as difficult as he had expected it to be.

Frodo looked around for Kili, wondering where his new friend had gone, relaxing only when he saw that the younger dwarf had indeed gone back to sleep.

"Thorin, are you really a king of a mountain?" Frodo asked as he turned back to the dwarf. These were things that Frodo had been wondering for some time now. He did trust what Bilbo had said in his stories, but his uncle was also well known to him for adding a little _extra_ to his tales.

Thorin was taken aback by this question; how could a relative of Bilbo's not know all that there was to know about the journey that had taken place? His spirits fell a little at this. Obviously Bilbo had not been as proud to be a part of that adventure as he had hoped. "Yes Frodo. I am indeed the king under the mountain. Do you know what it was called?"

"Erebor!" Frodo almost jumped up in excitement at the name.

'Well, at least Bilbo was excited to tell his nephew about something.' Thorin thought.

"Can you tell me about your adventure?" Frodo asked the king who sat before him. Frodo had enjoyed listening to his uncle's tale, but he wanted to hear it from someone else's point of view.

"Alright."

And so Thorin told Frodo about everything, from the moment when he had first escaped the dragon, to meeting Bilbo for the first time, to taking his rightful place as king under the mountain after the battle of five armies.

Thorin hadn't bothered to make sure that Frodo was listening. So it came as a slight shock to him when he looked down to see that Frodo had fallen asleep in his arms. Thorin chuckled to himself, then deciding that it was time for him to sleep as well, he went over and placed himself beside Bilbo. And there he fell asleep between the two hobbits.

When Frodo woke up dawn was just starting to creep over the horizon. He had just woken up from a nice dream, in which a bright white rabbit with glowing red eyes led him back to Pippin, Merry and Sam. They were all feasting together in Bag-End.

Oh how he missed his friends, but he was sure that he would have missed his uncle even more. In which case he didn't regret the fact that he had chosen Erebor over the Shire.

Frodo was starting to feel restless, so he decided to get up and have a little look around. Uncaring to the fact that Bilbo would be furious if he found out that he had gone wandering off on his own. He walked over to Kili first, wanting to know what the dwarf looked like when he slept. Although getting out of Thorin's arms had been an adventure in its own right.

Frodo peered at Kili's sleeping face. Kili was by far Frodo's favorite dwarf. He was funny and he was fun to be around, and they both had similar tales to tell. Not to mention that Kili was also the youngest of his group, and for that Frodo found a kindred spirit in the young dwarven prince.

Frodo, who had now wandered over to Fili, was about to pull on Fili's braids to see if they came off, when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He looked towards the source, unable to identify what it was that had caused the flash of white. He moved closer, trying to get a better look, when he tripped over Fili's leg. Fili felt nothing though, and continued to sleep.

Slowly Frodo got up again, moving closer to where he was sure the flash had been, more aware of his surroundings this time. What he saw shocked him. He had been expecting to see something interesting, not the sight that now lay before him.

There in front of Frodo, sat a snow-white rabbit with glowing red eyes. It was trying to get into Bilbo's bag. Most probably because that's where all the food was kept. This disappointed Frodo greatly, for he had been hoping for something a little more interesting, something a little dangerous even.

Frodo was about to go back and continue with his examination of the dwarves, when suddenly a thought struck him. This actually was interesting, for this rabbit was identical to the one that had led him back to the shire in his dreams!

Suddenly the rabbit looked up, and upon seeing Frodo ran away in fright. Upon impulse Frodo ran after it, hoping to catch it. He kept chasing it until the cavern was long out of sight.

It was just after dawn by the time the rest of them woke up. Fili started complaining almost instantly. He was going on about how something had attacked his foot sometime in the night, and that Kili was his prime suspect.

Bilbo got up and stretched, feeling much better after a good long rest. He was sure that with the way he felt, there was no chance that he would be catching a cold from the previous day's storm. Bilbo walked over to his pack, hoping to get some breakfast ready for himself and the others, only to find that his pack had been opened and that all the food had become spoiled. This made him frown a bit, what was he going to tell the others? He had a feeling that this was not going to turn out well.

Thorin walked over to Bilbo, checking to make sure that Bilbo was feeling as well as he seemed. He walked up to Bilbo, and on impulse hugged him from behind, wrapping his arms around Bilbo, not carrying that the others could see his every move.

Upon feeling Thorin's touch, Bilbo's skin started to tingle in a way that he felt was rather embarrassing. But Bilbo said nothing, secretly hoping that Thorin would do more, so much more, then hug.

Bilbo shook his head, telling himself that now was not the right time for that. He moved slightly, hoping that Thorin would sense his discomfort and release his grip. But Thorin did not let go. "Just a little longer." He whispered, and Bilbo could feel goose-bumps crawling across his skin.

"Alright." He replied, feeling that if he said more, he would end up telling Thorin everything about how Thorin made him feel. The things that being near Thorin did to him.

Thorin finally let go of Bilbo, allowing him to go about his business. Fili and Kili could be heard giggling in the background, but where silenced when Thorin approached them.

"We leave as soon as we are ready." He said, all business now. "We must get going, we need to make up for the ground that we could have covered had it not been for the storm." Then he went to pack his own belongings.

"Leaving? But what about breakfast!?" Fili and Kili asked together. Both of them Feeling extremely hungry after last night's events.

"About that-" Fili and Kili both turn to look at Bilbo. "I'm afraid that the food has all been spoiled. Something got to it during the night I'm afraid."

Fili and Kili looked like they were about to cry. "Oh why must we be cursed like this!" Kili started calling to the sky. Thorin, who did not have the patience to deal with this, walked over and smacked his nephew upside the head,

"That's enough of that. Now get packing."

XXX

After much effort on Kili's part, they decided to throw everything away. Kili could not find a single piece of decent food to eat, and so they all had to go without breakfast. Though Kili did forget about his hunger eventually, for it was beautiful weather, with not a cloud in sight.

"What a beautiful day! Don't you think so uncle Thorin?" Kili asked, he was practically skipping with joy. Fili and Bilbo also walked with a bit of spring in their steps.

Thorin chuckled, glad to see that everyone was in such high spirits. As a matter of fact, he felt that absolutely nothing could go wrong today.

Little did he know just how wrong he was.

Frodo had been chasing the rabbits for a while now, it was already sun-up by the time he finally lost track of it and decided to head back.

'I wonder what uncle is going to make me for breakfast.' He thought as he heard, more than felt, his stomach growl. So he started walking, but then a thought came to him that made him stop in his tracks. He had not been paying attention to where he was running, and now he was undoubtedly lost!

Frodo starts shaking; he has never been in such a situation before, for he always had Bilbo with him. Or at least Pippin Merry and Sam where there to guide the way. Then coming to his senses, he tried figuring out a plan to find his way back to the others.

He sat down, noticing how tired he was after all of that running. He stared up at the sun, noticing how he could see it now that he was out of the cave.

"That's it!" He cried suddenly. 'The sun"

Frodo had realized something, the sun hadn't been visible at the campsite because the cavern entrance was facing away from the sun, but now he sat there staring at it. He came to the conclusion that if he simple walked towards the sun, he would find his way back to the others eventually, so off he went.

It was nearing evening now, and the company had come to a halt. Thorin told them all to stay where they were while he went to find a place that was well out of site of the main road. When he came back he noticed that they all looked wide awake, and not as tired as they probably felt.

"Come! I've found s dip in the ground; we shall spend the night there!" Thorin called out to them. And without waiting to see that they were following him, he went back the way he came.

The campsite was indeed perfect, even though it seemed to have been used multiple times before. None of them thought ill of it though, assuming that it had been home to rangers at some point or other. Bilbo set down his stuff on a leaf-covered part of the dip. He was just getting his stuff out of his pack when Fili and Kili ploughed right into him, causing all three of them to fall to the ground.

Thorin turned around at the noise, drawing his sword as a precaution. When he saw what they had gotten themselves into, he laughed lightly and sheathed his sword, walking towards them and pulling them off of each other.

Poor Bilbo had been stuck at the bottom of the pile, but could not help but laugh along with the others. It had been a good day for him, even considering that all of them were probably on the brink of starvation, but other than that he felt like he could do anything.

Thorin came over to Bilbo, offering him his hand. Bilbo took it, albeit a bit shyly, and allowed Thorin to help him back up. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, looking into each other's eyes.

Suddenly Thorin cleared his throat and turned away from Bilbo, finding a spot for him to place his things, ending the moment.

Bilbo huffed in frustration, Thorin was a difficult person to read, one moment they had a connection, and the next… Well, Bilbo felt that they were worlds apart. Bilbo sighed, and then turned to reorganize his belongings, which had been scattered during the incident.

"Alright, Fili, go get the firewood, Bilbo, I want you to see if you can find something decent for cooking in that bag of yours, I'm going to see if I can hunt anything down." Thorin commanded, acting the part of a true commander.

"What should I do uncle?" Kili asked, realizing that he had been forgotten. "Anything that needs taking care of?

Thorin growled at his nephew. "Don't ask stupid questions Kili, you are to look after Frodo, seeing as to how he has taken quite a liking to you."

Kili just stood there for a moment, expecting Thorin to suddenly hand Frodo over. "Well uncle? Where is he?" He asked after a while.

Thorin glared at him. "Do you mean to tell me that you don't know where he is?" He asked.

Bilbo perked up, realizing what was going on. "Where is Frodo?" He asked, looking around to see where Frodo could have possible gotten himself off to.

Thorin and Kili both looked at each other, while Bilbo looked between the two. Fili meanwhile just sat there looking confused. Where could Frodo possibly have gone?

Bilbo was really starting to panic now, he couldn't see Frodo anywhere. And now that he thought about it, he had not seen Frodo leave the camp with them, always assuming that he was with one of the others.

Fili and Kili had been of the same mind, thinking that maybe Frodo had fallen asleep inside of Thorin's coat. Thorin on the other hand, could not believe that they had been so irresponsible.

"We must turn back! Frodo is probably scared to death out there all on his own!" Bilbo cried after a moment's silence. Fili and Kili nodded in agreement.

"I agree, but I don't think that it would be wise for all of us to leave. I say that only one of us ought to accompany Bilbo on the way." Thorin said, he was finding it rather difficult to keep the uneasiness out of his voice. How could he have been so stupid to not have done a head count first? And if anything happened to Frodo… Well, he preferred not to think about it.

The sun was starting to go down, but Frodo wasn't worried. He was in a part of the forest that he recognized now, having passed this way before.

Of course Frodo was oblivious the dangers that came out as soon as the sun set, it all just felt like a grand adventure to him. But he was starting to feel lonely, and there was a chill that was starting to creep it's way towards his bones.

Frodo quickened his pace. Was that howling he had heard? Or was it simply just the wind? Of course Frodo knew about wolves, for his father had mentioned them often in the stories that he told Frodo when he was a young Hobbit. Or at least younger then he was now.

XXX

The sun had set completely by the time Frodo had finally managed to find his way back to the cavern. But the sight that greeted him was not a pleasant one. For as Frodo entered the cavern, he could see that it had been completely abandoned, and that his friends were already long gone.

This frightened him a bit, what was he supposed to do now? He had no idea where any of them could possibly have gone, or why they had left without him in the first place.

He could hear the sound of wolves howling in the wind again, but they didn't sound like big wolves. Definitely not the howl of a warg. According to Bilbo wargs had a howl that made the flesh want to peel of your boned, that they were the most terrifying things to be caught with on a cold night.

That's what Frodo was thinking about now, even knowing that these wolves sounded quite unlike that. But the thought still frightened him.

Suddenly a branch snapped, causing Frodo to run towards the back of the cavern. Before he got there though, he tripped over his own feet, falling and cutting his hand on a rock. Then there was silence.

Frodo was truly afraid now, afraid of what unknown things were lurking just beyond the entrance to the cavern. He was clutching his hand to his chest, trying to stop the bleeding.

Suddenly there was the sound of footsteps, but they weren't heavy enough to belong to Kili or the others. He looked towards the entrance, hoping to see something familiar. But his wishes were not granted.

There was a small fox standing at the entrance of the cavern. It's eyes were cross, and it had an odd look about it, like something was wrong with it. It started sniffing the air, moving slowly in Frodo's general direction. Frodo shrunk back, trying to hide from the fox, not knowing what it would do if it found him there.

Suddenly it's head popped up, it was looking straight at him. Frodo tensed, hoping with all hope that it wouldn't move any closer towards him.

Bilbo was running as fast as he could, having been unable to wait any longer. They had taken a while deciding who would be coming with Bilbo to retrieve Frodo.

While they had been arguing, Bilbo had started to feel very uneasy about the whole situation. He had finally come to a point where he couldn't bring himself to wait any longer. Night was almost apon them, and Bilbo knew full well what kind of creatures lurked in the darkness. He shuddered at the thought of Frodo being out there all on his own, cold and afraid.

He had waited until they were all in heated discussion, until the moment came when he was sure they wouldn't notice that he was gone until a good long while later.

So now he was running, he was almost at their campsite from the previous night. So far he had seen no sign of his nephew, and was starting to worry. 'What if Frodo had been captured my orcs?' He thought, then shook his head. 'Don't think thoughts like that Bilbo, I'm sure that he's fine, Frodo is a brave lad…' And he let the thought trail off, thinking of how bravery can often be mistaken for stupidity.

Bilbo had finally reached the cavern, he paused for a moment, needing to catch his breath. He had never run so fast and far in his life! He took out his sword, sting, and checked to see if any orcs were near. His sword was not glowing, so he knew that if anything had happened, goblins most certinaly had not been involved, unless they were already long gone.

Suddenly a branch snapped, causing him to whip his head back to see what had caused the sudden noise. Brandishing his sword. He relaxed a bit when he noticed that it was just a fox, and lowered his sword slightly. Then he noticed that something was off about the creature that was standing no more than four feet in front of him.

Foxes where of a wondering sort, and where often excited to explore new things. But this one was standing there, very still, not even flinching when Bilbo took a step forward towards it. In fact it was standing so still that Bilbo could have sworn it was a statue, except for the fact that it had not been there before.

Suddenly the fox started moving about in an odd manner. It was taking very small steps forward, it's hind legs being dragged behind slightly. It was waving its snout back and forth through the air, searching for a smell that for all Bilbo knew wasn't even there. Suddenly the fox snapped, jumping upwards in the air with a growl, then landing awkwardly.

Bilbo stopped moving, seeing that something was most definitely wrong with the animal in front of him. Bilbo turned his head, checking to see if anything had snuck up on him while he had been distracted. Noting that there was nothing, he turned around to look at the fox.

But the fox was gone, having moved further into the entrance of the cavern. Bilbo stood there, deciding on whether or not he should go in and find out what it was up to. He had decided against it, and was about to turn back when he heard another snap, and then a cry.

He knew that voice. "Frodo!" He called, and ran into the cavern, brandishing his sword as he went, fearing the worst.

Thorin was pacing madly around the camp, anger burning up inside him. How could Bilbo have been so stupid? Leaving without saying anything like that. What if something dreadful were to happen, and none of them were there to protect him. Thorin understood what had caused Bilbo to leave in such a hurry. In fact he would have done the same thing if it had been Fili or Kili that had been left behind, even knowing full well that they were capable of taking care of themselves.

Fili and Kili watched their uncle, wondering what was going through his head. It had been awful when they had first realized that Bilbo was missing, because Thorin had gone mad with anger. He had calmed down considerably. Though the two of them were afraid to speak, afraid that they might anger their uncle even further.

That's when Kili said something beyond stupid. "Uncle, why don't you just go after him if you're worried that much-"

Kili was pulled back by his brother, who placed a hand over his mouth. But it was too late. Thorin turned to face the young dwarves, his eyes burning with anger and annoyance. "And why, pray, should I do that?" He waited for a moment, and without hearing a reply, he continued.

"Why should I be bothered to follow after him, when it was his own stupid choice to go out there alone!" He stopped pacing now, but was simply turning on the spot. "All that he needed to do was wait for a few simple moments, and one of us could have gone with him!"

Fili let go of his brother, knowing that he wouldn't bother mentioning anything to Thorin at the moment. The two of them just sat there, watching their uncle, and listening to his rant. The two of them couldn't help but smile knowingly, knowing that there was more to the situation then Thorin was letting on.

Thorin obviously cared about Bilbo, very much. And they knew what Thorin was thinking, that if anything happened to Bilbo on this journey, he would be the one to blame.

It had been Thorin who had wanted to bring Bilbo with him to Erebor since the beginning, but had kept his thoughts to himself, not being able to face rejection after all that the company had been through. And he had regretted it ever since. For the two years that he had been king, he had always wanted to go and visit the hobbit, but there was never enough time since they were in the midst of rebuilding their new kingdom. He had made several new acquaintances, including one female that had nearly caused him to forget his love for the hobbit that had tunneled its way into his heart those years ago.

Eventually he had made up his mind to go and bring Bilbo back with him, not being able to stand it any longer. For had almost forgot, and he was determined never to forget again.

He certainly wasn't forgetting now. He had finished his rant, and with a last sigh he went and settled himself by the fire, telling his nephews to sleep and that he would keep watch. For Thorin didn't think that he would be able to sleep again until he knew that the two hobbits had been found safe and alive. In truth Thorin wanted so badly to chase after Bilbo, but thought that Bilbo would feel incompetent if he did. For even hobbit's have their pride. So he had stayed behind.

Eventually Thorin dozed off, still thinking about what he would say to Bilbo once he came back. If he came back at all.


	7. 6 Hints, or confessions?

**A/N Just to let you all know, i have been a bit busy latly with band and stuff so i apolagize for the long delay, chaper eight will be up in the next three days. **

**Also, I lost my beta (she has some stuff that she needs to do and is writting a story of her own, HawkPerrigrin, pretty sure i spelt that wrong though, check her out!) so if there is more mistakes then usual now you know why! I hope you enjoy the story all the same!**

**_**

Bilbo ran into the cavern, taking in the scene before him. Frodo was pressed up against the back of the wall, blood dripping from a cut on his hand. He was trembling terribly. The fox meanwhile was advancing slowly, blocking off any chance of escape.

Bilbo advanced slowly, hoping that the fox was too concerned about Frodo to notice him.

Frodo was afraid. He had been sitting in the back of the cavern, when the blood dripped off his hand and onto the ground, causing the fox to advance on him. Frodo was trying to move away, when suddenly the fox had jumped up and snapped at him. Frodo ran to the back of the cavern, a scream escaping his throat. He pushed himself as far back as he would go, desperately hoping that the fox would suddenly change its mind and leave. Of course no such thing happened.

The fox, which until that moment had been focused entirely on the being before him, turned suddenly on instinct, finding Bilbo advancing on it from behind.

Bilbo felt his heart skip a beat, he and the creature had made eye contact, a contact which none of them were willing to break, for fear of what would happen next. It was silent in the cavern except for the sound of Frodo's ragged breathing.

Bilbo stood there, sword held up in front of him. When suddenly the fox sprang up from where it stood, aiming for Bilbo's face. Bilbo ducked, only to get scratched by the fox's back paw as it leaped right over him.

It hurt, for the fox had hit him directly above his right eye, and it was now bleeding heavily. But he refused to let this distract him. He needed to save his nephew, and he was willing to risk his life in the process.

Bilbo advanced on the fox, any trace of nerves gone from him. He brandished his sword as he looked the creature in the eye, willing it to come closer to him.

And it did, with a jump such as Bilbo have never seen a fox do before, it leaped at the hobbit's face. But Bilbo was not afraid, waiting to greet the creature with his sword.

Bilbo woke up to darkness, brandishing a sword that he no longer held. "Frodo?" He called, once again fearing the worse.

Thorin stood by the hobbit, worry clearly visible on his face. Bilbo hadn't returned to them until late the next morning, his body covered in blood, holding on to his nephew in a way that showed how reluctant he was to ever let go of Frodo again. Thorin, who had been on watch at the time, was startled to see them in such a bad condition. Upon seeing the dwarf, Bilbo had fallen over, and would have squished his nephew had Thorin not managed to catch them in his powerful arms.

Thorin had to wake Kili up, not being capable to tend to the two of them at once. He handed Frodo over to his nephew, telling him that he was closest to Frodo out of the three of them.

Frodo was in a right bad state. His body went from shaking to being violently still. He had fallen asleep in Bilbo's arms, clinging to his uncle, as if fearing that the world would end the moment he let go. Kili ripped off a piece of his shirt, then pulling out his skin, poured a little water on it. He then placed it on the young hobbit's head, hoping to cool him down a bit, for he was sweating miserably. Kili then washed off the blood that had found its way onto the hobbit. He checked for injuries, but the blood seemed to have come off of his uncle when he was holding him.

Thorin picked Bilbo up form where he had been placed, trying to be as gentle as he could manage. He walked over to his belongings, thinking that Bilbo would not appreciate having blood all over his things. Thorin looked the hobbit over, searching for the source of all the blood. He had three scratches on his forehead, and a small, yet deep. Gash on his chest. Thorin came to the conclusion that he had been attacked by either a very large fox, or a small wolf.

Thorin took a piece of cloth from his bag, intending to wash the blood off the hobbit, so that he could treat the cuts on his chest and face. Oh that beautiful face-

Thorin shook his head, knowing that now was not the time for him to be thinking such thoughts. Bilbo was hurt, and he needed to be taken care of.

XXX

Bilbo found himself looking at Thorin's face. He jumped up slightly, causing Thorin to move out of the way to avoid getting bonked in the head. Bilbo looked around, trying to recall the events of the past few days.

It came to him eventually, he had been attacked by the fox, which had managed to cut his chest before Bilbo skewered it with his sword. He then remembered picking up a terrified Frodo, and somehow managing to bring him back to the camp, which had not been easy because of the loss of blood.

But that was all that Bilbo did remembered. What he wondered now was where his nephew had gotten off to, and why he was sitting on Thorin's coat instead of his own.

Bilbo tried to get up, but a sudden sharp pain in his chest and head caused him to lie back down again. "Frodo?" he asked. Not too pleased at the prospect of having to resort to words instead of actions. "Where is Frodo?" He asked again when he didn't receive and answer the first time.

Thorin looked down at Bilbo; he had spoken so quietly that Thorin needed to strain to hear him. Then he nodded in the direction of Kili, guessing what it was that Bilbo had been asking. Bilbo looked up at this, sighing with relief when he saw Frodo safe in Kili's arms. He was glad to see him sleeping so soundly, especially after his latest ordeal.

"I asked Kili to take care of him as soon as the two of you arrived." Bilbo jumped when he heard Thorin's voice. He had been so occupied with the thought of his nephew that he had forgotten about the dwarven king. Bilbo blushed and turned away, hoping that Thorin would not see the relief at seeing him in his eyes, lest Thorin figure everything out.

"T-Thank you. I… I guess that I should apologize for wandering off like that?" Bilbo was nervous. Surely Thorin would be furious with him for leaving suddenly like that. Bilbo looked up, expecting to see anything but the expression that was now Thorin's face.

Thorin was looking at him with clear worry and relief on his face. There was also something else, something that confused the hobbit. "Thorin are you-" He was cut off as Thorin lifted him up and pulled him into an embrace. Bilbo flinched when the pain from his wounds were made obvious to him, but he didn't struggle. So many different thoughts were racing through his head. Why was he being embraced, Thorin being as gentle as he could so as not to hurt him.

Thorin, who had acted on what his heart had said versus mind, let go as soon as he realized what he was doing. He pulled away, allowing Bilbo to lie back on to his coat.

Bilbo found himself unable to speak properly. As much as he tried, the words simply refused to leave his mouth. And so they remained a thought.

"You ought to go to sleep. You've been through a lot." Thorin said, his voice barely above a whisper. Thorin turned to move away from Bilbo.

"Thorin?" Bilbo muttered, his mouth voice starting to work again.

Thorin stopped moving away, and turned his head to face Bilbo. "Aye?"

"Thorin, I… What was that about? I mean not that I object but-" Bilbo stopped, realizing that he had been so close to telling the dwarf what he thought of him.

Thorin smiled. "Just go to sleep Bilbo. I promise that it will all be explained in due time. "

"Thorin?"

"Bilbo," Thorin turned and walked back towards the hobbit. "I told you, go to sleep." Then without waiting for a reply, he walked away.

Bilbo sat there, confusion racing through his mind. And unsure of what he was supposed to think about all that had happened, he finally gave his mind over to the drowsiness that was threatening to overwhelm him, and he fell asleep.

When Bilbo woke up again, he found that everything had already been packed and neatly folded away, all except for Thorin's belongings, which Bilbo had been sleeping on, for someone had taken the time to put all of his belongings away. He looked up, trying to see what everyone else was up to, hissing as he was assaulted by the pain from his injuries.

Bilbo looked down, he had been bandaged during the night, he touched his face, feeling the bandages that had been placed there as well as the ones on his chest. He looked up when he heard the sudden noise of footsteps to his lift, fear taking hold of him, but he calmed down at the sight of Thorin coming back from wherever he had been. And the last traces of fear left him.

XXX

Bilbo had refused Thorin's offer to help him walk, knowing full well that it hurt his wounds, but he didn't want Thorin to think bad of him for it. So he dimply dealt with the pain that he felt throbbing through him.

Frodo was still in a pretty bad condition. He was suffering from shock, and the cut on his hand had grown close to becoming infected. Kili had of course managed to treat it on time, and Frodo had then refused to leave his side, for Kili was the one that he felt closest with. Other than Bilbo of course.

Kili was holding on to Frodo as they walked along, worry clear on his face. He had taken quite a liking to Frodo, glad that it was his turn to take care of someone, rather than having Fili doing the work all the time. He kept looking down to make sure that the young hobbit was indeed alright, and he just couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had been a constant companion since Bilbo and Frodo had come back.

Fili could tell that his brother wasn't feeling all that great, and he wanted desperately to do something about it, but didn't know what would be the right thing to say. So he just left Kili alone, knowing that his brother would come to him if he needed help, just like always.

Later that day they had arrived in Bree, for they were unsure of how they felt about sleeping out in the open so soon after all that had happened to the hobbits. They had arrived there quite early in the day, for Thorin could tell that Kili was quite anxious about Frodo, and Bilbo didn't look too good himself.

"Alright sirs, how many rooms would you be liking? We have separate small ones, or there is one big one with room enough for all, though I'm afraid that'll cost ya extra."

Thorin was getting quite annoyed with the innkeeper, for he was quite nosy, and talked far too much. "Just the one." Was Thorin's reply.

The innkeeper was slightly taken aback at the dwarfs tone, and decided that he would pipe down a little. He handed Them a card that gave them all of the information that they needed for their stay at the end. He didn't normally hand this card out to others, but he could see that they were travelers and where very tired, with little patience.

Bilbo took the key from the innkeeper, offering his thanks. Then went to follow the others up the stairs that led to their rooms.


	8. Author's note

**A/N Hey there! I just thought that I would let everybody know that this story is going to be on hold for a little bit, I have been really busy with school and there is a lot of personally issues going on in my life right now, but i promise i will put up a new chapter as soobn as possible!**

**as for the chapter that i just put up, the reason that it isn't as good as it should be is because i lost my beta, not to mention the fact that i haven't been able to think properly so it might seem jumbled up (like how thorin wouldn't really fall asleep until he knew bilbo and frodo where okay but whatever) also, if you are going to comment on any mistakes, please do it nicly because i break down and cry at the smallest things right now, though i am ghetting better!**

**thank you for your continued support, feel free to message me or whatever, **

**-thilbolove**


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